All musicians feel self-doubt at some point. Even the best performers and artists occasionally have self-doubt. You are not alone if you have doubts about your musical prowess. Self-doubt can have disastrous results. The most profound tragedy occurs when composers and artists lose touch with their greatest passion due to self-doubt. We have often observed musicians considering leaving due to insecurities about their abilities or interpreting their lack of perceived success in the profession as a failure. The famous quote from William Shakespeare reads, “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might obtain, by dreading to attempt.” This adage is particularly relevant to musicians. Fear not; below are some helpful strategies used by famous music bands like Doubting Tomas to help you overcome self-doubt and rediscover confidence in your abilities!
Doubting Tomas has had several identities, and its staff has changed since it was founded in Nuremberg, Germany, behind the Iron Curtain. Bill Brewster, the band’s principal guitarist and vocalist, asserts that the Hard Rock foundation has stayed unchanged. Brewster claims that the band was fortunate to develop when bands such as AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath were only getting started. These influences, along with other distinctive pop brutal rock acts like Journey, Foreigner, Styx, and REO Speedwagon, helped pave a 30-year path from Air Band to Recording Artist that is still an inspiration for a lot of successful artists today.
They believe that being an artist requires you to be your true self. Being a carbon replica of someone else is not the goal. We are all different people with our thoughts, skills, and peculiarities. It can be difficult to avoid comparing oneself to others, particularly in the music business. Quantifiable metrics like streams and likes are used to measure success in the music business, but in the end, music is a lot more than a commercial endeavor. Therefore, remember that even though there will always be people who are more technically talented or productive than you, you should embrace your originality since it makes you remarkable.
Now, not every risk you take in music will be profitable. Risks are a part of music, whether attempting novel sounds or developing your artist identity but we can only narrow down what feels correct and what appears to be working by trying new things. While it is crucial to lay the right foundations, there is no need to worry and be harsh on yourself about every little thing. However, chances are that you will look back and wish you had done some things differently in the future.
On the other hand, having room for improvement indicates that you are moving in the correct direction. Of course, you can keep honing and perfecting your craft as time passes. Bringing us neatly to the next point, exploration and experimenting are the natural paths that lead to development. As artists, we naturally develop, and the work will continue to show that. After all, people’s preferences and opinions will constantly change over time. Every effort to advance and improve, whether by practicing or devoting time to writing tunes, expands your skill set.
Monitoring progress shows the mind why it should disregard the inner critic and refuse to believe the self-defeating story of the questioning mind. Through repetition throughout practice, we develop muscle memory, which is entirely automatic. With this information, you can relax and enjoy yourself while playing live or in the studio because you will not have to stop and think about how to play well. You have a quiet, inner confidence that already exists without you having to search for it if you practice enough!
